Crafty Catch-Up

Well, I think it's been a good three weeks since I last blogged and I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get back here.  No, that's a fib - I do know why, it's because I have been feeling over-whelmed by something and the urge to write about it was very very strong but I couldn't at the time.

This week I shall be mostly applying for a job.  Before anyone jumps to an assumption about what I do at the moment I should make it clear that I do work, in a self-employed capacity teaching belly dance and selling the things I make, and I have been able to work around my young family without incurring child-care costs.  As my family all live about 100 miles away I can't call on my mum to help out and my son, although now three and a half, isn't due to go to school full-time until September 2013 (as his birthday is mid-September and they now only do one intake per year).  So my plan was to continue to struggle along self-employed until then, and then once he was at school look for some extra work.  The children have had a lot to deal with in the last 18 months since their dad and I split up and their emotional well-being has been top of my list of priorities.

Then three weeks ago a friend threw me a curve ball.  A potential job, back in the field I used to work in before becoming a full-time parent eight years ago.  It was finally advertised last week and between her telling me about it (with the instruction to apply once it was advertised) and today I have been hunting out childcare. Childcare that I feel happy with, with someone the children are comfortable with.  I think I've got that one as sorted as I can now and so I can focus on something else for a little while.

Now all I have to do is make sure my CV reflects my experience and skills correctly and write a covering letter.  Harder than you'd think when you know it's going to be read by someone who knows you well, but I have to forget that and write the letter as I would for any other application.

In the meantime I've been working on some commissioned headdresses and adding at least one listing a day to my Etsy shop - I've gotten a bit behind with that so need to ramp it up and make sure I at least get all of the descriptions drafted out properly.

Oooh, and my new love is digital scrapping - why on earth it's taken me so long to get my head round using layers and masque tools and such in Pixlr is beyond me but now I do have an understanding I can't find enough time to play around with images I have and have found for free on the net.  Here's a pic to show you what I've been up to:

And on that note I shall leave you with a link to 1st Unique Gifts and the Handmade Monday blog.  If I'm a good girl and finally sort out my application letter I shall sit down this evening with a slice of cake and a cuppa and make sure to catch up with what everyone has been doing.